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I've often wondered how it must feel to be a successful Christian recording and touring artist whilst having to deal with the worldly aspects of that life such as marketing, profit margins, contracts, image, media communications, etc... It must be a really delicate balancing act to not let success go to your head when it comes, to keep the focus on the Lord and yet do your best to get your material out there because you believe that God wants you to touch people's hearts and souls through your songs and performances/recordings.

I know that one of my all-time favourite bands, Switchfoot, constantly struggle with this tension. Just listen to their last 3 or 4 albums for numerous examples. Jon Foreman's - and the other band members' - lyrics seem to be a way of working through for themselves the tensions inherent in their career/ministry, calling on themselves to keep the focus on what is right and true, above all on love... love of God, love of their fellow human beings. The fact that they do this in the public eye gives us an example that we can relate to and be inspired by.

Here's a Valentine's Day message Jon sent out. It says in other words what I myself said in my New Year's Resolution post:

Love alone is worth the fight, Love is the movement, Your love is a song, Your love is strong

I have written more songs about love than any other subject. And I'm not alone with my fascination: true love is a stunning sight to see. The highest forms of love take on a sacrificial nature, putting others' needs before my own. A love like this changes the world.

In turbulent times like these I remember heroes who choose love over reactionary impulses like hatred or fear. So this Valentine's Day, maybe we can dig deeper than just exchanging flowers and chocolates. Maybe we could reach out to someone and show them this deeper kind of love. Give up your time, share a smile, lend an ear, give a cup of coffee, or visit an old folks home.

And Happy Valentine's Day!-Jon

The title of their latest album, "Where The Light Shines Through" comes from the song of the same name. The full line is

"The wound is where the light shines through."

I love how this band do not hide from their own frailties as people but lay them out in a most vulnerable, honest manner for their listeners to relate to and resonate with. That's certainly my experience when I listen to their songs.

Just look at the video I posted the other day of them performing live "I Won't Let You Go". Here it is again:

When singing live Jon's voice is one that gives me frissons. It's his. He's not trying to sing like an American Idol clone. It's a fragile, broken voice with technical limitations, but he accepts those limitations and works with them to produce something intensely human and touching as he sings words that he imagines to come from our Lord, telling us He will never let us go... There is something profoundly moving in hearing God in his perfection sing to me through a broken, imperfect voice.

It's simply beautiful and it tears my heart in two... in a good way, because the wound is where the light shines through!!

When it feels like surgeryAnd it burns like third degreeAnd you wonder what is it worth?When your insides breaking inAnd you feel that ache againAnd you wonderWhat's giving birth?

If you could let the pain of the past goOf your soulNone of this is in your control

If you could only let your guard downYou could learn to trust me somehowI swear, that I won't let you goIf you could only let go your doubtsIf you could just believe in me nowI swear, that I won't let you goI won’t let you go

When your fear is currencyAnd you feel that urgencyYou want peace but there's war in your headMaybe that's where life is bornWhen our façades are tornPain gives birth to the promise ahead

If you could let the pain of the past goOf your soulNone of this is in your control

If you could only let your guard downIf you could learn to trust me somehowI swear, that I won't let you goIf you could only let go your doubtsIf you could just believe in me nowI swear, that I won't let you go

I won’t let you goI'll always be by your sideYeah

If you could only let your guard downIf you could learn to trust me somehowI swear, that I won't let you goIf you could only let go your doubtsIf you could just believe in me nowI swear, that I won't let you go

I won’t let you go(I won’t let you go)

There ain't no darkness strong enough that could tear you out from my heartThere ain't no strength that's strong enough that could tear this love apartNever gonna let you goNever gonna let you go

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Very sad news... Tony Doyle (Old Xav. - former pupil of mine) has passed away suddenly. Please keep him and his family in your prayers and thoughts. We will pray in our community for Tony and all the family. My heart goes out to them all. I have very fond memories of teaching Tony: a lovely personality, always smiling and joking.

The article that you will find here contains a very pertinent analysis of Neill Blomkamp’s wonderful film "District 9" in the light of the current refugee crisis. Here's the start of the article: "Sometimes the best way to approach the horrors of the real world is indirectly, through fantasy. Allegory can make important points free from the journalistic burdens. On its release in 2009, Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 was acclaimed as a clever sci-fi/action movie that used a story about alien refugees to explore South Africa’s shameful apartheid past.

But today it’s imagery and ideologies have a new resonance. Eight years after its release, as Europe struggles to cope with the ongoing migration crisis - and as media and politicians seek to dehumanise the most vulnerable of people - District 9 is more relevant than ever."